


Quiet Anticipation

by kate7h



Category: Vinland Saga (Manga)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happy Family, Married Life, Parenthood, Pregnancy, Waiting in Iceland, gudfinn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:41:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23650237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kate7h/pseuds/kate7h
Summary: The winter before setting sail for Vinland, Gudrid tells Thorfinn that they’re expecting a baby. Together they share their excitement and worries.
Relationships: Gudrid/Thorfinn (Vinland Saga)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 36





	Quiet Anticipation

**Author's Note:**

> Forgot I’d written this... I’ll post some art later

Gudrid tended to hum when she was happy. It was something she wasn’t always aware of, it just came out. The humming. The smiling. It was a common occurrence, and Thorfinn had grown accustomed to it. 

He remembered well the words he’d given her that day, when she’d borne her love out for him- before he’d even realized that was something that could exist between them. 

_ “I doubt I could ever make you happy…”  _

Her reply had astonished him, as she continued to ask for a concrete reply, casting aside his excuses and self-deprecation. 

_ “I don’t care what you say… you already make me happy everyday- like all the time! Just because you’re you.”  _

Thinking on it, after the time they’d spent together, it warmed him softly, and he smiled easily thinking of her. 

She hummed today as she sat in his family’s little annex they’d given him to use while he resided in Iceland- waiting until they could sail once and for all to Vinland. Gudrid was holding Karli in her arms, having rocked the toddler to sleep, even though he no longer needed such treatment. Thorfinn shut the door behind him, kicking the snow off his boots quietly. 

Gudrid smiled at him, and he returned it, making his way over to her. 

“How’s the planning going?” she asked, having left earlier than usual, calming the temper of the young boy. 

“We haven’t decided anything further, figured we’d take inventory of food and rations needed as we accumulated more,” he replied. 

She nodded, smiling again. “That’s smart.”

Thorfinn smiled wider as he removed his outer clothing, listening as she began to hum again, her voice flowing prettily in the warm air of the hut. She had a wonderful voice. He remembered being mesmerized by it that first night he’d heard her sing… when Karli was so young and they had no idea what to do with a baby. Her voice was smooth, gentle and clear, resonating her skill with ease. 

After removing his boots, setting them to dry, he walked over to his wife. He touched her face gently, then smoothed his fingers lightly against Karli’s hair. 

“You wanna free me?” Gudrid said from her chair. 

“Of course,” he nodded, tentatively lifting the boy from her, cradling him in his arms. 

_ He really has gotten so much bigger…  _ Thorfinn found himself not wanting to put him down again. He was a rambunctious kid, and squirmy too. He didn’t get to hold him like this anymore. Plenty of rides on his shoulders and all, but there was something about watching an infant literally grow too big for your arms, he didn’t realize it would be so fulfilling, and yet so saddening. The time had flown by so much faster than he’d expected. 

Thorfinn smiled, thinking back at all the times Karli had given him a meaning he couldn’t have even guessed at. Being a parent to a child who desperately needed him, and the child giving him the responsibility of being a good father before he ever dreamed of children of his own. He’d learned a lot, more than he could fully comprehend. 

Carefully, he leaned down to press a kiss to the boy’s forehead. Then he brought him over to the bed, resting him by far side by the wall. When he was sleeping, it was hard to believe he was already three. The years felt like nothing at all. 

He turned to see Gudrid lean back in the chair, stretching her arms before relaxing once again, a hand pressed to her belly. Though it didn’t show yet, he knew that soon they’d be starting over again with another little baby. The thought sent a jolt through him, remembering that fact. Gudrid had known about it for a couple weeks now, but she’d only told him days ago, after her morning sickness had increased and he’d begun to be worried. 

_ “We should send Karli away,” he said, pulling her hair from her face as she held the bucket so tight, her fingers were white. It must’ve been some kind of flu, being sick like this days in a row. He considered his balms and medicinal herbs, puzzling over what would help the most.  _

_ “No no,” Gudrid moaned, sounding so miserable. He rubbed a hand over her shoulder comfortingly.  _

_ Thorfinn frowned. “Maybe you ate something unsettling. But no, you shouldn’t be sick for over four days if that was the case. I wonder if it’s-“ _

_ “Thorfinn, I’m okay now,” she interjected weakly. “Can you get me some water?” _

_ He stopped, watching as she set the bucket away, leaning against the bed as she sat on the floor.  _

_ “Of course,” he replied, moving towards the edge of the room to the water barrel. He dipped a cup in and brought it back to her. She took a gulp, swished it around in her mouth, then spit it out into the bucket before drinking the rest down slowly.  _

_ Thorfinn knelt in front of her, leaning in to press his hand to her forehead, feeling for a fever. “You’re not too warm, so maybe it’s not a flu. I wonder if it could be-“ _

_ Before he could continue, she laughed lightly, covering her mouth to muffle it. The worry still swirled in his gut.  _ Why is she laughing? 

_ She reached out to him, grasping his hand as she calmed down. “Honestly, how’re you gonna be a doctor when you can’t see the most obvious answer here?” _

_ He raised a brow, blinking.  _ What…? 

_ With a light sigh, she smiled brightly at him, gripping his hand tight between the two of hers. “Thorfinn, there’s nothing wrong with me. Nothing at all.” _

_ Confusion filled him still. What was obvious? Nothing wrong? She’d been ill every morning for the past four days now… What could make her ill like that? “I don’t understand, what is it then?” _

_ From the dim light of the fire behind him, he could see happy tears in her eyes.  _

_ “Thorfinn, I’m with child.” _

_ The fire crackled in the quiet, making the room feel warmer than it was. Silently he gaped at her, blinking incredulously without a word.  _ With child? Gudrid is… with child? 

We’re going to have… a child…?

_ She laughed lightly, pulling a hand away to touch his cheek. “You in there?” _

_ He blinked, focusing on her face as she radiated such a joy. She was so beaming and bright, he could almost believe she was radiating light as well.  _

_ “You’re…!” He started, unable to articulate.  _

_ She laughed again, those tears falling from her eyes now. “Yes!” _

_ He felt a smile break out across his own face now, and he pressed a hand over his mouth, letting his eyes fall from her face to her stomach. “G- Gudrid, I… Shit, I dunno what to say.” _

_ “Maybe not ‘shit’ around our very talkative and perceptive kid,” she chuckled, and he bashfully scratched his neck, looking up to see Karli still snoozing.  _

_ He pulled his hand free from hers and grasped her around the middle, feeling the curve of her waist. He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t. Well, yes he could. Of course this was a possibility. It wasn’t all that frequent, but they made love often enough, always happy to have the opportunity and the rare privacy to do so. Being intimate with her just made him feel like he was falling in love with her over and over again as he did what he could to make her happy. But yes it made sense, her ending up pregnant as a result. He thought maybe part of him forgot that that was what would happen in the end, given that it had been two years since their first time on their wedding night.  _

_ “You’re… happy though, right?” Gudrid prodded, although the smile still on her face was a good way of guessing she already knew that.  _

_ He smiled as he nodded, pulling her closer to wrap his arms around her. He pressed her close enough to feel her stomach against his. It was flat now, aside from her normal softness. No feeling of curving or roundness just yet. “Of course… of course I am.” _

_ Her arms wrapped about his shoulders, a gentle chuckle coming from her. “So am I.” _

Thorfinn made his way over to where she was seated. Before she could stand, he knelt in front of the chair, wrapping his arms around her as he pressed his ear to her stomach. She chuckled, stroking her fingers in his hair. He breathed, letting his eyes close. 

“You know, I don’t think you’ll be able to hear anything,” Gudrid said, playfully sassy. 

“I’m not expecting to,” Thorfinn replied. “I just want to feel you.”

She hummed lightly. “When the baby grows bigger, you’ll be able to feel it move around.”

“Truly?”

“Yes, of course. My mother complained of us all being too rambunctious, keeping her awake in and out of the womb.”

He laughed at that, but also felt woefully unprepared. Karli must’ve been between six and nine months old when they’d found him. In adopting him at such an age, they forewent the experience of going through a pregnancy and infancy. He really knew next to nothing about any of it. If they were staying in a place where at least Ylva and their mother were, he would’ve felt more at ease… but Gudrid would give birth just before winter after they’d arrived in Vinland… He worried about both of their lives, going through such an ordeal in a land none of them truly knew what to expect from. Mothers often died in childbirth… and babies often died too, or within their first few months of life. 

At the dark thoughts, his hand tightened around her, and he shut his eyes, wishing this potential harm was something he could protect the both of them from. When they went to Vinland, the only sort of doctor they had going was himself. And he had no clue what to do should any complications arise. If only they would still be in Iceland, where help was readily available. As of now, there were only two women who’d decided to board to Vinland, Gudrid and Hild, and knowing Hild he was sure she knew as much as he did about pregnancy and labor… 

When he’d first realized this to be a problem, the timing and all, he’d thought briefly about asking Gudrid to stay in Iceland… then dismissed the thought for a number of reasons. For starters, she’d never agree to it. She was one of the greatest supporters of the Vinland settlement plan, and her call to adventure was strong in her soul. She’d never let him go without her. 

Another reason was that he didn’t  _ want  _ to leave her. He wanted her with him. The thought of actually leaving her behind, after everything they’d been through, all the hardships and adventures, after building this love they had between them… It felt like a heavy stone dropped in his gut, considering being apart from her. 

Gudrid’s fingers continued to run through his hair as she hummed contentedly. “You’re being pretty quiet. Thinking some deep thoughts?”

He nodded against her belly, still holding her tighter than necessary. 

“What about?”

He breathed a sigh, gripping his hands into soft fists in the fabric at her back. “You… the baby… and Vinland…”

She was quiet at that, but her fingers didn’t stop their calming movement. “Yeah, I figured.”

“Maybe we… should delay…” he muttered, wondering if that was even possible at this point. It was only a couple of months until they planned to depart. Nearly everything was set and ready to go. They were just waiting for the sea to clear. 

“We can’t do that,” Gudrid voiced the obvious. 

“I know…” he breathed, clinging tighter to her, fearing for her life… fearing for the child… and the unknowns that kept creeping up on him. “I’m just worried.”

Her fingers stroked against his face, pulling his hair from his eyes. “I am too. Vinland is a mystery to most of us. But I think it’ll be okay, Thorfinn.”

He was quiet, listening to her words as he picked up her steady heartbeat. 

“We’ll have a few months before the baby is born, so there’ll be time to build houses before the winter. And we know that winter there isn’t as severe as here, so the cold won’t be as much of a problem,” she said confidently, which made him all the more worried. There were so many more ways it could go wrong, ways he didn’t even know he didn’t know. 

His plan was to ask Helga and Ylva both to teach him as much as they could about childbirth and infant care and what not; he wanted to know what was normal, what kind of complications could arise, and how to deal with them as they came along. He was very much afraid. Afraid to lose this love he had never deserved in the first place. 

She touched his cheek, stroking through his hair. “It’s gonna be okay.”

With a sigh, he pulled away and stood, grasping her hands to have her stand with him. 

“No matter what,” he said, holding her hands between them. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, and our child.”

Gudrid smiled, her eyes soft as she looked at him adoringly. “I know that. And I’ll do the same for you, of course.”

_ Oh, I know that too,  _ he thought with amusement, thinking back to that day so long ago with Thorkell after the battle at Jomsborg. 

Gently, he pulled her close, embracing her in earnest. She returned it readily, releasing a sigh as she melted into him. Really, he was sure he’d never grow tired of this, holding her so close to him. He turned his face into her, pressing a kiss to her cheek as his fingers threaded through her hair. 

“I love you, Gudrid.”

She chuckled, squeezing him a bit tighter. “I love you too. Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! please leave a comment!


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